Diesel punch gives GWM Tank 300 the edge it always deserved

By assumption, it can be argued that Great Wall Motors (GWM) had possibly expected a bit more from its Tank brand’s first model in South Africa, the 300, after its first full year of sales last year.

Tainted success

A quick totalling up of the monthly National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) sales figures paints an impressive figure of 516 units for the retro-styled off-roader that faced numerous delays before its eventual arrival in 2024.

The entry-point in the Tank range, which is marketed as a standalone brand in China instead of being sold as a GWM, the 300’s sales performance comes admits a compromised choice of powertrains international reports have been anything but kind to.

Blighted by poor fuel consumption, the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol has received the bulk of the criticism, while the self-charging 2.0-litre turbocharged HEV hybrid has been received coolly for its anything but hybrid consumption of more than 13-litres per 100 km in some instances.

ALSO READ: No more waiting: GWM puts sticker price on Tank 300 Diesel

While praised for its 255kW/648Nm, which saw Road Test Editor Mark Jones clock a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds at Gerotek last year, the HEV’s attempt to balance power with efficiency while moving nearly 2.3 tons simply doesn’t suit a vehicle designed from the onset as a hardcore off-roader.

At the same time, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 has also been ruled-out as the vehicle that uses it, the limited edition Tank 330, won’t be offered outside the People’s Republic anytime soon.

Diesel ‘a must’

The solution was, therefore, an easy one and on the back of significant pressure from Australia, the Tank 300 officially debuted a turbodiesel engine last year in a move GWM Chairman, Wei Jianjun, described as an issue that could no longer be avoided.

Using the GW4D24 2.4-litre oil-burner that debuted in the facelift P Series, now called P300 in South Africa earlier this year, the Tank 300 Diesel’s knock-on effect involved its confirmation for the local market, where sales for the first four months have so far totalled 297 units.

Unveiled at GWM’s annual dealer prize giving conference in February, the diesel also becomes the entry-level powerunit in the Tank 300 line-up despite its greater displacement than the admittedly more powerful petrol and HEV.

A move that could be seen as making the petrol and hybrid almost redundant, the arrival of the diesel for the weeklong test left no second guessing as to which model would soon become the most sought after

Initially thought to be entry-level Super Luxury, the white test unit turned-out to be range-topping Ultra Luxury priced at R739 990.

A sticker that undercuts the comparative petrol by R39 960 and the HEV by R189 960, the Ultra Luxury doesn’t lose out in spec either as GWM had simply carried the former’s list of features over into the diesel without skimping on anything.

Styling done right

Styled to resemble the Soviet-era UAZ 469 military “jeep” , with a few elements from the Ford Bronco present down the side and at the rear, the 300 looks purposeful and rugged in a manner its more upmarket sibling, the plusher Tank 500, simply cannot match.

Perched on 18-inch alloy wheels versus the 17-inches fitted to the Super Luxury, the Ultra Luxury strikes an imposing figure, with the only giveaway of its difference from the petrol being a chrome 2.4T badge above the 4×4 decal on the tailgate.

Simple but upmarket inside

As incremental as the exterior changes are, the interior is virtually identical as GWM has retained both the dual 12.3-inch displays, ambient lighting, wireless smartphone charger, heated and cooled front seats, and dual-zone climate control.

Bizarrely, the test unit didn’t feature the Nappa leather upholstery or even the Infinity branded nine-speaker sound system, which led to the confusion of whether it was indeed the Super Luxury or the Ultra Luxury

The presence, however, of the bigger wheels, “aired” seats and heated steering wheel gave the game up, though, it still remains unclear as to why the former items weren’t present.

Mystery aside, the interior comes as a welcome departure from other Chinese vehicles in that physical switchgear still dominates what remains a clean and uncluttered cabin with Mercedes-Benz-style turbine air vents and an aircraft throttle-inspired gear lever.

Spacious in typical Chinese fashion, fit-and-finish is equally impressive, with soft-touch plastics and leathers on most surfaces, plus a fetching imitation brushed aluminium decorative inlay on the passenger’s side.

Less impressive, the plastics around the gear lever sounded clunky and felt cheap, however, it could be argued that most buyers are unlikely to be phased about what is still a premium-feeling place to be.

In addition, the workings of the infotainment system, which gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, is relatively easy thanks to GWM having streamlined the system to negate pages and pages of sub-menus.

Comfort has also not been sacrificed as, apart from the seats being snug and able to drop all way down to the bottom, the instrument binnacle integration into the dashboard means no obscured view of the readouts as in recently tested Chinese vehicles.

Clambering into the back is just as good as the sunroof doesn’t impact on headroom at all, while legroom is unlikely to result in any protests.

Besides the pair of vents, the Ultra Luxury also gets a pair of USB ports and a central armrest with twin cupholders.

Tugging open the hinged tailgate with the spare wheel affixed, the boxy design translate to a 400-litre boot, which looks surprisingly small on first glance.

Somewhat of a faff, unlocking more space requires a two-tiered approach involving lifting the seat squabs first, and then pulling the tag that drops the seat backs.

Once done, luggage space increases to 1 635-litres, though once again, this appears smaller than GWM’s claim.

Powerplant stunner unfairly spoiled

The business end of the Tank 300 is, of course, its new powerplant, which develops the same 135kW/480Nm as in the P300.

Tipping the scales at a heavier 2 280 kg, though, the engine pulls with just enough verve for the 300 not to feel underpowered.

The caveat, though, is that immediate response could, and should, have been better had it not been for the usual Chinese vehicle irritation of a poorly calibrated throttle mismatched with the transmission.

A handicap that almost spoils not only driveability but also the engine itself, the delayed accelerator input results in the Tank 300 being momentarily without power and ponderous as drivetrain tries to sort itself out.

For its part, the nine-speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly once on the move, but tends to lose its way on downshifts and become erratic.

More accomplished is the ride that irons out imperfections with little notice, as well as refinement in that little to no road or engine noise filters into the cabin.

In addition, and despite a full array of safety and driver assistance systems, none are intrusive and can be switched off permanently until being switched on again.

Made for the bush

On the off-road front, the permanent four-wheel-drive system has not been touched from the petrol and, as such, retains the low-range transfer and four off-road modes: Mud, Sand, Snow and Expert to go with the Eco, Normal and Sport driving modes.

Included further is the transparent chassis view camera, Crawl Control, a front diff-lock that adds to the rear available from the start in the Super Luxury, and the 360-degree Tank Turn which, unlike in the all-electric Mercedes-Benz G580, doesn’t spin the 300 through 360-degrees in its own tracks.

Instead, the system locks the turning rear wheel similar to Ford’s Trail Turn Assist. Requiring low range to be selected in conjunction with the Crawl Control, pressing a third button activates the Tank Turn meant to aid entry and turning in tight off-road spaces.

A setup that can be seen as a bit gimmicky, it nonetheless still comes as one of the Tank’s USPs in confirming its credentials as a serious off-roader.

If already not “off-road approved” enough, the diesel, as with the petrol and hybrid, has a ground clearance of 224 mm an approach angle of 33-degrees, departure of 34-degrees and breakover of 23.1-degrees.

High consumption no more

Always the main point of content with most Chinese vehicles, the conclusion of the Tank’s weeklong stay involved fuel consumption.

Possibly the biggest payoff, besides the price tag, the 410 km spent with the diesel saw the trip computer display a best figure of 8.8 L/100 km, way less than the 14.8 L/100 km recorded by the petrol last year and the HEV’s 13.9 L/100 km.

Conclusion

It goes without saying that the arrival of the diesel has been worth the wait in GWM finally giving the Tank 300 the engine it deserves

Although, unfairly, hobbled by the throttle and transmission programming, it still manages to excel where the petrol and hybrid have faltered.

While the Ultra Luxury will undoubtedly prove the derivative to have, smart money remains on the Super Luxury, which, minus a few features, can be had for R699 990.

That being said, what version ultimately wins the buyer’s signature still makes for an overall package that has suddenly become even tougher to beat.

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